Cooper barn find

[absmiami]

It’s primer nite

some pinholes here and there 

no big deal ...

bondo tomorrow ...

the chassis will remain primer gray -‘Tamiya -

I’ll brush paint the interior aluminum finish on the body panels 

[absmiami]

Tried some oil based Sharpie black on the sway bar - looks ok - shiny - needs a short while to dry 

the suspension uprights were brush painted with some floquil - brushes on nicely - wish I had a bigger stash of these paints ...

[absmiami]

Herb Deeks’ kit came with these white metal spinners for the wheels - temporarily glued to the end of a toothpick and sanded/finished with the Foredom drill and drilled for rivets ...

[Gramps46]

Andy, the progress you have made is just impressive.   

[absmiami]

Fire extinguisher

found another stash of floquil in one the deepest recesses of the workshop - nice surprise - including a jar of red unopened from maybe ???? 25 yrs ago ????  Very flat -

so topped with some Tamiya clear and the decal made on my printer

mite try a redo of the markings with a strip of white laid over the markings and then a second  decal over the white ....

[absmiami]

Beaches still closed. But there is lots of sanding to do...

2 part bondo finishing putty. I think #108.  Just the stuff on the shelves at your local hardware store.  Pinholes be gone (?!?). Also adding the lip for the windscreen...

[Straightliner59]

Looking great, Andrew! With the body coming together, perhaps you're really turning the corner. Loving your work on this piece!

[absmiami]

Thanks  but I always worry about what’s round that corner ....

bondo morning ....

blending the lip for the windscreen and correcting some flaws on the engine cover

has anyone tried the 3M acrylic glaze putty ???

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, absmiami said:

Thanks  but I always worry about what’s round that corner ....

Well, there is that! I used to use 3M's Acryl Blue. I liked it, but,  the vast majority of it dried out, before I could use it--the tube was huge!

Edited April 23, 2020 by Straightliner59

[absmiami]

Was wondering whether it was sold in smaller tubes than what I saw on amazon - 14 oz ? Too much - assuming it does not have long shelf life ...

[absmiami]

Noticed the forum category for comp cars that are non drag related - if the board wants this build to migrate there - that’s ok

i won’t pout ...

well maybe a little ...

[absmiami]

Drilled and ground a recess into the nose for the badge which will be an 096 disc  -  either the nickel that is pictured or perhaps an aluminum disc - using a hand punch

the other shots show some grinding and finishing for inside surface of the eng cover and the nose - trying to remove most of the tool marks and divots from thinning the panels   
and I’m smoothing the interior seems a little.   Judges rant...  judges don’t know much  -  but they can spot a seem from the other side of the contest hall - so  here ya go, judges - best I could do.  There. I feel better now ../.            

[absmiami]

Why does it seem

like it takes more time to correct 

things than to make

things ?  Puttied some of the joints to clean them up .... 

[Ridge Rider]

That is some nice fabrication you've got goin on there.  Thanks for sharing

[absmiami]

So the body panels are aluminum  - the undersides  are probably unpainted  -  so I’m thinking that I should paint the underside a shade of Alcad aluminum and then spray the paint finish on the surface with no masking and just allow a little overspray on the underside alu finish -

thoughts ?

[absmiami]

Seat time ...  

the merit kit seat has the correct shape but has nothing resembling seat cushions - so these were made from sheets and evergreen bar stock - .020 thick. Shaped with sanding sticks , an xacto blade, sanding drums , files etc. the evergreen was glued to the seat with liquid glue ...

[absmiami]

The second coaT of primer is on

got rid of most of the pinholes - glued on some body fasteners - will scrape the finish paint coat off them - but this should be cleaner than gluing them on after the color coat -  have always been a fan of Veber’s photo-etch fasteners. He had them done years ago by Fred Holtzberg (?) in New York - he was best ....  using the 20th scale finishers - seem like the correct size -  ten total.  Some light sanding and I’ll be ready for the color coat. Once I figure out what’s wrong with the airbrush - it’s either the water trap or the compressor - dunno ...

[absmiami]

Whilst I ponder the airbrush mystery- I’m brush painting some tamiya flat aluminum onto the interior of the body shell - sneaking around the chassis tubes by covering them with strips of 3M parafilm. Working so far ...

[Gramps46]

Looking real good.   Thanks for posting your progress.

[absmiami]

Thinking about an engine swap in the Cooper.  What do ya think ??

[Gramps46]

Oh sure why not.  It certainly would be unique.

[absmiami]

How do you think it would handle? 

[absmiami]

I’m in big trouble [again]

  Mr Cooper is stopping in to the workshop and he expected the Mark IX to be finished by now ...

[absmiami]

The white metal wheel castings came in Herb Deeks’ super rare Cooper kit which was a recast of the Merit kit with some wh metal castings ... And whilst I was toiling away making lug nuts  for the Lotus 32B - it occurred to me that I needed 8 more for the back wheels on the Cooper .  So....

[absmiami]

Thoughts on tire sidewall markings.  The Deeks kit uses rubber O rings that I sanded for the tire patch. Sorry. - no tread pattern...  would like too use / apply Dunlop markings. Dry transfers would work better than decals. 
-  thinking ....